'I have come to Australia to see what a global-warming future holds for this most vulnerable of nations, and Mother Nature has been happy to oblige: Over the course of just a few weeks, the continent has been hit by a record heat wave, a crippling drought, bush fires, floods that swamped an area the size of France and Germany combined, even a plague of locusts. "In many ways, it is a disaster of biblical proportions," Andrew Fraser, the Queensland state treasurer, told reporters. He was talking about the floods in his region, but the sense that Australia – which maintains one of the highest per-capita carbon footprints on the planet – has summoned up the wrath of the climate gods is everywhere.'

"Science is recognising humans as a geological force to be reckoned with." This is a good read on why the Anthropocene is a useful way of thinking about the why and hows people are changing the ("natural") world.

"the impact of humans on the earth since the early 19th century has been so great, and so irreversible, that it has created a new era similar to the Pleistocene or Holocene. Nobel Prize winner Paul J. Crutzen even proposed the name Anthropocene, and it’s begun to catch on."

"Conceived as a response to the expedition, High Arctic uses a combination of sound, light and sculptural forms to create an abstracted arctic landscape for visitors to explore." Closes 13th January 2012.

"“The main point is religious rather than scientific,” [Dyson] writes, yet never acknowledges that this proposition cuts both ways, never seems to recognize the extent to which his own arguments proceed from faith. Environmentalism worships the wisdom of Nature. Dysonism worships the indomitable ingenuity of Man." This is a good read.

"Sod all that, my correspondents insist: just look out of the window. No explanation of the numbers, no description of the North Atlantic Oscillation or the Arctic Dipole, no reminder of current temperatures in other parts of the world, can compete with the observation than there’s a foot of snow outside."

"Public attitudes to science are changing. The IPCC was established before the internet revolution. Like it or not, its closed world of peer review is no longer possible, let alone desirable." The most recent New Scientist leader calls for the IPCC to report more often and with more openness about its internal processes.

"'It's right that there's rigour applied to all the reports about climate change, but I think it would be wrong that when a mistake is made it's somehow used to undermine the overwhelming picture that's there,' [Miliband] said."

Coming out against collapsitarian thinking and for SCIENCE. "It is in this spirit that we launch a four-week campaign exploring ways to make the world a better place. It will come as no surprise that our starting point is the power of reason. From that springs an ironclad belief that the world can be made better through the application of science and rational thinking."

'Can this new mood of "conspicuous austerity" really challenge a consumer culture in which thriftiness has long been seriously out of fashion?' Thankfully, Analysis has transcripts, so you can skim for the good bits hidden in the waffle (like 'rebranding thrift').

"Bodle will be projecting onto the facades of buildings throughout Bristol estimated future high-tide marks should the entire Greenland ice cap melt. The idea is brilliant; I love the idea of mapping the future earth onto the earth of the present, of overlaying onto our present geography the virtual presence of a geography yet to come."

'global warming could change the planet for the next 100,000 years, which is how long it may take for igneous rocks to "breathe" back in all the carbon dioxide we've released over just a few centuries'

"What will change everything?" Some themes, from the headlines: climate change (especially melting ice caps); augmented minds and IT-led learning; extra-terrestrial intelligence; nuclear weapon use (in various ways). There's also a general "biological engineering" theme, but that's harder to pin down. Lots to delve into, for the interested. (I wish they'd put each response on its own page, though.)

George Monbiot: "George Marshall argues that people are not persuaded by information. Our views are formed by the views of the people with whom we mix. ... A story that tells us that ... we'll have to make sacrifices ... is less likely to be accepted than the more rewarding idea that climate change is a conspiracy hatched by scheming governments and venal scientists"

Matt Jones writes up Geoff Manaugh/BLDGBLOG at The Bartlett, so I didn't have to go. The Dubai paragraph is great, and the idea of the US Army as post-Archigram is interesting too.

"we’re up to approximately 35 tonnes, 80% of which is flying ... we’ve got a little bit of a lifestyle problem here" Cory Doctorow's 2006 flights analysed, with the promise of a repeat for 2007 coming up.

More Guardian, wondering if Gordon Brown is going to back away from European Union targets on renewable energy generation.

More Guardian, this time on the UEA/BAS reporting that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere aren't just increasing, but that the rate of increase is accelerating.

Guardian story covering the Global TGI survey that reports Britons per capita emissions are twice those of the US. Overall, though, US travel emissions are double those of the UK. Interesting.

On the Australian drought, managing water in a large basin, and the implications for others. Wonder what the (millions of) users of the Colorado River make of it?

'Some call it "crap." We call it life!' Nice shot at the CEI climate change denying advert currently on US tv

"Five biggest polluters in UK produce more CO2 than all motorists combined" - well, yes, four of them generate electricity, though, so it's hardly surprising. Corus showing up is interesting.

"A scrupulous scientist like Huygens would rather be disappointed, than accept dubious evidence to provide pat confirmation of a pet theory." Good piece, this.

CO2 emissions (in g/km) for various cars. Compare to 225 g/km limit for top rate UK vehicle duty

The entire text of the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change book that's been on the front page of BBC News today.

[James Lovelock's] astonishing conclusion - that climate change is already insoluble, and life on Earth will never be the same again.